Is it time to “Turtle Up”?

What a March it has been – as a restaurant manager told me last night, while I was picking up some takeout from his 200 plus seat restaurant, no way did he ever think he would be in the pickup and delivery only business

…just a week ago.

One week – from 200 seats to pickup and delivery only –
that’s pretty incredible

He had a choice –

He could have “Turtled up” – pulled in his head, legs and
little stubby tail – and locked that shell up water and airtight – held his
breath and hoped it all would go away

He could have laid off everyone

He could have cut out everyone’s health insurance

He could have stopped paying his rent

He could have stopped buying supplies

He could tell everyone:

“The Government will take care of You”

“See you when it’s Back to Normal”

“Take Care”

He could have chosen to “Turtle up”

But he didn’t

He is figuring out a way to sell his food to customers that need to be fed

He is figuring out a way to pay his rent and his utilities – in a space that, mostly, he is not allowed to use

He is figuring out a way to keep his employees working

He is figuring out a way to keep buying his supplies and supporting other businesses

He is figuring out a completely new way to keep moving forward

For sure, he still is a turtle right now – after being a
rabbit just last week – but you know what, he is out of his shell – his head is
up and looking forward to opportunity, his legs are moving him forward, one
small, slow step at a time, but still moving.
That little stubby tail, it’s out, maybe not swinging side to side, or
keeping beat with the music playing, but out of his shell!

He chose to keep going – he stopped – made a plan – and went
to work

What are you choosing right now?

Are you choosing to “Turtle Up” or are you choosing to put out whatever legs you have and figure out a way to start moving forward?

Over the last week and a half, I have been meeting and
talking with dozens of small businesses owners and managers about “What’s Next”
and I know there is a lot of fear and confusion about what to do.

That is normal

It is normal to not know what to do next – no one really
does – with absolute certainty.

There is no doubt this Pandemic is unprecedented in our
lifetimes – but I also know that even in the past 20 years – we made it through
9/11 and the global financial meltdown and recession of 2009 – 2012 …

Not to mention the global recession of 1991 – I lived and
worked through

The great depression our parents (or grandparents) made it
through…

But every time we made it through – not unscarred –we as individuals
and businesspeople – we learned a lot.. we learned a lot more about ourselves
and our businesses.

We learned how to make it work

How to keep and pay our employees

How to pay our rent, utilities and health insurance

How to get new customers, when old customers closed or went away

How to pay the bank…or how to keep them from taking everything we had….

How to say “There is Way” when there was “No Way” – and I do mean “No Way”

How to keep going, when everyone else “Turtled Up”, shut up or just plain quit

Because of the pain – the trauma – the losses – personal and
financial – we are all better managers – we are better business owners – we
simply are better people.

Is it time to “Turtle Up”?

For some reading this…maybe it is…I am sorry to see you give
up.

But for those of you – like me – who refuse to “Turtle Up” –
it is time to lead the way to “returning to normal” – whatever that “New
Normal” is going to be.

Let’s figure out a way – even when there is “No Way”:

To keep as many employees working as possible – at full pay

To pay our supplier bills and help keep them and their employees in business

To pay our employee health insurance

To pay our rent, mortgage payments, utilities

To support and serve the customers that are depending on us to be there, when they need us

To Not “Turtle Up”, quit, give up or even give in

To Plan for a Future, that is still on the Horizon, but
coming tomorrow, for sure

Customer
demand might be a little (or a lot) slow right now (I know for some non-existent);
but, end of the day – Your Business – My Business – only exists to serve
customers with excellence – not just when everything is easy and money is
“printing” but, even more so, when they need us, when they are scared and when
we (ourselves, our businesses ) are barely getting by.

Figure out a way – that’s the job as a business owner and manager– to serve and support the customer – to keep employees working – to pay our bills – no matter what.

Our mutual tomorrows depend on You and Me finding a way,
some way, any way to keep moving forward, to lead without fear, to Not “Turtle
Up”.

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Moore Business Consulting works primarily with privately owned and operated businesses in Greater Cincinnati and Southern Ohio. Acting as business consultant and business coach, the business needs of 100's of privately owned and operated businesses have been served since 1990.